PIN# 2012-07-23-NEWS-1

LACOE has made public an action plan for improving its efficiency and effectiveness as an educational services agency for local public school districts.

An intensive high school credit recovery program designed to help incarcerated students get on the fast track toward earning a diploma was recently unveiled by LACOE at the Challenger Memorial Youth Center in Lancaster.

LACOE is a partner in a new initiative aimed at boosting the stature and salaries of preschool teachers and childcare employees.

 

"ECEWorks!" is a policy and public awareness campaign headed by First 5 L.A. to nurture, strengthen and expand L.A. County's childcare and preschool workforce.

 

More than 40,000 individuals employed in these professions play a critical role in providing early learning and social development to hundreds of thousands of L.A. County children from birth to age five.

 

Yet despite their critical role, preschool teachers are often considered not much more than babysitters, said Evelyn Toliver, LACOE project director.

 

"We're excited to be part of an effort that has the ability to transform how we view and treat these educators so that our youngest students have access to highly qualified early learning professionals," Toliver said.

 

In 2011, licensed childcare facilities and preschools contributed $1.7 billion to L.A. County's economy. Nonetheless, the region lacks enough workers in the field to meet the growing demand for these services.

 

The public-private partnership also includes the UCLA Anderson School of Management, L.A. Universal Preschool consortium and the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce.

 

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LACOE's Road to Success Academy, which serves young women detained at Camps Scott-Scudder in Saugus, held its first walkathon on June 29, raising $300 to benefit refugee women and girls in Darfur, Sudan.

 

"Our students can really identify with the plight of these refugees," said Academy Principal Diana Velasquez. "Most of our girls have suffered life traumas that we are working to address."

 

The Academy focuses on engaging young women in learning through interdisciplinary projects focused on relevant themes. "Everything we teach is designed to connect to our students' own lives and to the real world," said Liza Bearman, the Academy's project-based learning coach.

 

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K-12 teachers are invited to gain valuable information, content knowledge, skills and resources at the 8th Annual Constitution Day Conference, set for Sept. 8 at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley.

 

Sponsored by LACOE with several civics-oriented groups and foundations, the conference aims to assist schools that receive federal funds in fulfilling the mandate to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution each year on Sept. 17.

 

Deadline to register is Aug. 19.

 

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It's an academic competition like no other, where the prize is more valuable than a medal.

 

LACOE's annual Academic Bowl for incarcerated and at-risk students benefits youth typically left out of mainstream scholastic contests. Most who participate have never achieved anything positive in school before, let alone compete for an academic title.

 

The 2012 Academic Bowl finals, held June 28 at the Autry National Center in L.A., proved once again that setting high expectations for students boosts achievement, self-esteem and teamwork.

 

Following the theme "The Economy: Our Financial Crossroads," the fast-paced competition featured multimedia presentations, SuperQuiz and debate.

 

Guest speaker Father Gregory J. Boyle, founder and executive director of Homeboy Industries, gave a motivational talk.

 

The four highest scoring teams from school-based contests competed in the finals on June 28 from the following sites: Christa McAuliffe H.S./Challenger Memorial Youth Center, Lancaster (second place, tied); Dorothy Kirby Center H.S., City of Commerce (first place); Phoenix Academy, Lake View Terrace (third place); and the Road to Success Academy/Camps Scott-Scudder, Saugus (second place, tied).

 

Photo: LACOE and Probation staff celebrates the Dorothy Kirby Center School's first-place win at the 2012 Academic Bowl. They are (l-r) Jennifer Flores, principal; Joseph Stern, team coach; Paul Escamilla, Probation; Elmo Cormier, Kirby Center director; Reggie Pullens, LACOE; Aziza Abraham, Probation; and Matthew Allen, Probation.

Exemplary classroom technology projects from schools across L.A. County were honored in the 2012 Digital Voice Awards program. The awards celebration was held online this spring.

 

Produced by LACOE's Instructional Technology Outreach Division, the awards are designed to empower students to share their voices and stories. They recognize teacher-supervised student projects covering a mix of grades and curricular areas that use a variety of technology tools.

 

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An ongoing partnership among LACOE, the County Probation Dept. and the nonprofit Theatre of Hearts/Youth First continues to benefit incarcerated students through arts education programming.

 

The partners recently unveiled the latest effort, two large-scale murals created by youth detained at Central Juvenile Hall in L.A.

 

Themes for the original murals were developed through the "Literacy Alive" Creative Writing Program provided by Theatre of Hearts. Through the program, students learn to work together to create high-quality public art while achieving outcomes that satisfy the state's academic standards.

 

Under the guidance of professional artists and authors, students participated in intensive workshops over several months to produce the Wall of Communication and Wall of Transformation murals. The images, themes and symbols in the murals come from the students' original writing.

 

Other mural projects have been completed at the Road to Success Academy/Camps Scott-Scudder in Saugus and Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar.

 

Photo: The 'Wall of Communication' mural created by students at Central Juvenile Hall. 

More than 10,000 graduating high school students across California have earned the first state recognition in the nation for achieving proficiency in multiple languages.

 

The "State Seal of Biliteracy" was established per Assembly Bill 815 (Brownley) to recognize high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading and writing in one or more languages in addition to English. It takes the form of a gold seal affixed to the high school diplomas of qualified students. School district participation in the program is voluntary.

 

"Fluency in a second language helps our students be well-prepared to compete in a global marketplace," said state schools chief Tom Torlakson in making the July 5 announcement. "The gold seal on their high school diploma recognizes and celebrates a second language as an asset not just for themselves, but for our state, nation, and world."

 

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